Kentucky bluegrass designated `Ba76-372`

ABSTRACT

A variety of Kentucky bluegrass having a high level of resistance to powdery mildew and a medium to high level of resistance to melting out, leaf spot, and brown patch; a medium green color throughout the growing season; excellent winter color during mild winters; the ability to form a medium quality turf under a wide variety of environmental conditions; a coarse textured turf; and a high level of seed yielding capacity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poapratensis that has been designated `Ba76-372` Kentucky bluegrass.

2. Description of Related Art

Kentucky Bluegrasses have been disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,150,issued May 2, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,156, issued May 9, 1972; U.S.Plant No. 3,186, issued May 23, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,336, issuedNov. 28, 1978: U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,280, issued Sep. 6, 1988; U.S.Plant Pat. Nos. 6,537 and 6,538, issued on Jan. 17, 1989; U.S. PlantPat. No. 6,585, issued Feb. 7, 1989; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,831, issuedMar. 17, 1992; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,490, issued Dec. 7, 1993; U.S.Plant Pat. No. 9,036, issued Jan. 3, 1995; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,209,issued Jul. 18, 1995; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,611, issued Jul. 23, 1996;U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,848, issued Apr. 1, 1997: U.S. Plant Pat. No.9,977, issued Jul. 22, 1997; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,080, issued Oct. 21,1997; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,081, issued Oct. 21, 1997; U.S. Plant Pat.No. 10,384, issued May 5, 1998; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,925, issued May25, 1999; and pending U.S. Plant Patent application Ser. No. 09/032,057,filed Feb. 27, 1998, as well as U.S. Plant Patent application Ser. No.09/120,393, filed Jul. 22, 1998.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

`Ba76-372` plant material originated from a single plant that was aprogeny resulting from crossing `Ba72-482`, an unreleased, unpatentedKentucky bluegrass plant grown and maintained in the plant nursery atthe Scotts Company in Marysville, Ohio, as the seed parent, with`Ba72-462`, another unreleased, unpatented Kentucky bluegrass plantgrown and maintained in the plant nursery at the Scotts Company inMarysville, Ohio, as the pollen parent. As a result of this breeding, adistinct variety was produced and asexually propagated by rhizomes,tillers and disseminules. The highly apomictic seed of `Ba76-372`Kentucky bluegrass was produced first at Marysville, Ohio, and later atGervais, Oreg. This seed was used to plant turf performance evaluationtrials and later, seed production fields.

Asexual production of `Ba76-372` initially was performed at Marysville,Ohio, by propagules (tillers and rhizomes) and by disseminules (modifiedcaryopses produced by apomixis) and has consistently produced progenyplants indistinguishable from the first generation asexual reproductionsof the instant plant. The apomixis level of `Ba76-372` is approximately94.4% (plus or minus 2.1%). The apomixis level was determined byexamining seedling characteristics of approximately 100 to 150 seedlingsfrom different crop years in a growth chamber and any seedling with oneor more characteristics different from the other `Ba76-372` seedlingswas classified as not being of apomictic origin.

`Ba76-372` has a number of highly desirable characteristics, including ahigh level of resistance to Erysiphe graminis that causes powderymildew; a medium to high level of resistance to Drechslera spp thatcauses leaf spot and melting out; and a medium to high level ofresistance to Rhizoctonia solani that causes brown patch. `Ba76-372` hasan attractive leafy turf type, coarse leaf blades and a medium greencolor which can be maintained throughout the entire growing season.`Ba76-372` demonstrates excellent winter color under mild winterconditions.

`Ba76-372` is an overall good turfgrass performer as evidenced by mediumscores for quality and color. `Ba76-372` has a high seed yield potentialin the bluegrass seed production region of the northwestern UnitedStates.

In comparison with a number of other Kentucky bluegrass varieties,`Ba76-372` has a significantly longer seed with a shorter rachilla and asignificantly higher seed count per pound. The panicle of `Ba76-372`Kentucky bluegrass is significantly shorter and has a higher number ofwhorls than several other Kentucky bluegrasses. The peduncle is thickerand the culm is shorter than many other Kentucky bluegrass varieties. Ithas a flag leaf that is wider and thicker with a longer ligule that hasmore hairs when compared to most other Kentucky bluegrasses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a `Ba76-372` Kentucky bluegrass panicle;

FIG. 2 is a `Ba76-372` Kentucky bluegrass seed; and

FIG. 3 is a `Ba76-372` Kentucky bluegrass plant shortly after completinganthesis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

`Ba76-372` Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is perennial withcreeping rhizomes forming a dense turf. When plants overwinter in thefield under freezing temperatures and are then brought into thegreenhouse during late winter to continue growth undisturbed by clippingunder moderate temperatures (60-80° F.), culms are erect averaging 38.5cm in length. The uppermost internode averages 9.0 cm in length. Thepeduncle averages 26.5 cm in length and 1.27 mm in width. The vegetativeleaf averages 27.4 cm in length, 4.3 mm in width, 0.19 mm in thicknessand the ligule 0.34 mm in length. The flag leaf averages 5.7 cm inlength, 4.2 mm in width, 0.12 mm in thickness and a ligule length of1.33 mm.

The panicle averages 8.5 cm in length, 7.4 cm in width, and has 6.9whorls. The lowest whorl and the third whorl from the bottom of thepanicle average 4.3 and 4.1 branches, respectively. A spikelet in thelowest whorl averages 4.5 mm in length, 1.9 mm in width, 3.2 florets andthe outer glume and inner glume average 2.5 mm and 3.1 mm in length and0.54 mm and 0.74 mm in width, respectively. A spikelet from the thirdwhorl from the bottom of the panicle averages 5.0 mm in length, 2.1 mmin width, 3.8 florets, and the outer glume and inner glume averages 2.8mm and 3.4 mm in length and 0.59 mm and 0.82 mm in width, respectively.For the vegetative leaf, the number of hairs is slightly below averagefor the leaf sheath margin, above average for the dorsal side of theleaf sheath, about average for the upper margin of the ligule, aboutaverage for the collar margin and about average for the dorsal side ofthe leaf. `Ba76-372` differs significantly from many of the otherKentucky bluegrass varieties in regard to such morphologicalcharacteristics as seed length, panicle length, number of whorls perpanicle, flag leaf width, flag leaf thickness, flag leaf ligule length,flag leaf ligule hair, peduncle thickness, and culm length.

Since environmental conditions such as soil and climate may influencemorphological characteristics to some extent, comparisons of `Ba76-372`were made with other Kentucky bluegrass varieties under like conditionsand the comparisons are set forth in Tables 1-7, as follows.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                        Morphological Comparisons of Peduncles, Culms, and Top Internodes of          `Ba76-372` with Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at       Marysville, Ohio.                                                                                Peduncle                                                            Peduncle  Thickness                                                                              Culm    Top Internode                             Variety  Length (cm)                                                                             (mm)     Length (cm)                                                                           Length (cm)                               ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`                                                                             26.54     1.27     38.52    9.00                                     `Ba79-260`                                                                             26.39     0.91     54.11   11.10                                     `Abbey`  26.83     0.99     33.30    7.40                                     `Ascot`  18.76     0.67     38.25    5.79                                     `Famous` 20.99     1.04     48.88    8.85                                     `Goldrush`                                                                             19.26     0.89     43.05    7.44                                     `Nottingham`                                                                           26.70     1.19     39.20    9.42                                     `Raven`  26.12     0.78     55.32   11.64                                     `Sidekick`                                                                             27.22     0.91     55.88   10.36                                     LSD (.05)                                                                               2.76     0.11      3.64    1.56                                     ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 2                                                         ______________________________________                                        Morphological Comparisons of Vegetative Leaves of `Ba76-372` and              Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at                       Marysville, Ohio.                                                                       Length  Width     Thickness                                                                            Ligule Length                              Variety   (cm)    (mm)      (mm)   (mm)                                       ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`                                                                              27.39   4.33      0.19   0.34                                       `Ba79-260`                                                                              25.81   4.65      0.19   0.36                                       `Abbey`   23.42   4.02      0.20   0.40                                       `Ascot`   28.41   3.84      0.19   0.31                                       `Famous`  27.46   4.58      0.21   0.41                                       `Goldursh`                                                                              20.80   3.89      0.19   0.40                                       `Nottingham`                                                                            26.46   4.78      0.20   0.40                                       `Raven`   24.44   4.62      0.21   0.37                                       `Sidekick`                                                                              29.03   4.94      0.21   0.48                                       LSD (.05)  3.54   0.45      0.01   0.05                                       ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 3                                                         ______________________________________                                        Morphological Comparisons of Flag Leaves of `Ba76-372` and Other              Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, Ohio.                                             Ligule                                               Length   Width    Thickness                                                                            Length Ligule                               Variety  (cm)     (mm)     (mm)   (mm)   Hair*                                ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`                                                                             5.66     4.21     0.122  1.33   2.20                                 `Ba79-260`                                                                             6.90     3.55     0.104  1.11   0.90                                 `Abbey`  3.57     2.99     0.109  0.91   1.60                                 `Ascot`  6.03     2.49     0.102  1.15   1.60                                 `Famous` 7.65     3.83     0.102  1.19   1.38                                 `Goldrush`                                                                             7.11     3.21     0.089  1.00   2.00                                 `Nottingham`                                                                           4.77     3.71     0.124  1.08   2.30                                 `Raven`  5.87     3.38     0.104  1.08   1.20                                 `Sidekick`                                                                             6.65     3.61     0.104  1.07   1.10                                 LSD (.05)                                                                              1.13     0.47     0.013  0.163  0.49                                 ______________________________________                                         *Rating 0-9;                                                                  0 = None;                                                                     9 = Many Hairs.                                                          

                  TABLE 4                                                         ______________________________________                                        Morphological Comparisons for Panicle Length and Width, Whorl                 Number and Whorl Branches of `Ba76-372` and Other Kentucky                    Bluegrass Varieties Grown in the Greenhouse in Marysville, Ohio.                                       Number of                                                   Panicle           Branches                                                                          Whorl Lowest                                                                              Third                                Variety  Length (cm)                                                                             Width (cm)                                                                              No.   Whorl Whorl                                ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`                                                                              8.51     7.44      6.90  4.3   4.10                                 `Ba79-260`                                                                              8.88     7.53      5.30  4.0   3.60                                 `Abbey`   6.04     4.99      5.80  3.7   3.30                                 `Ascot`  10.03     7.01      4.20  2.2   2.00                                 `Famous` 12.11     8.11      6.22  4.2   3.78                                 `Goldrush`                                                                             10.25     6.63      5.70  3.6   3.50                                 `Nottingham`                                                                            8.08     7.15      7.00  4.4   4.40                                 `Raven`   8.15     6.36      5.30  4.0   3.20                                 `Sidekick`                                                                             11.22     3.52      5.50  2.8   2.60                                 LSD (.05)                                                                               0.92     1.21      0.61  0.6   0.53                                 ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 5                                                         ______________________________________                                        Morphological Comparisons of Spikelets and Florets of `Ba76-372`              and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at                   Marysville, Ohio.                                                                    Spikelet                                                                                            No. of Florests                                         Lowest Whorl                                                                            Third Whorl per Spikelet                                              Length  Width   Length                                                                              Width Lowest                                                                              Third                              Variety  (mm)    (mm)    (mm)  (mm)  Whorl Whorl                              ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`                                                                             4.45    1.92    4.96  2.09  3.2   3.8                                `Ba79-260`                                                                             5.03    2.01    5.16  2.31  3.9   4.3                                `Abbey`  4.67    1.85    4.54  1.94  3.1   3.1                                `Ascot`  5.34    2.03    5.10  2.06  3.2   2.9                                `Famous` 5.19    2.14    5.18  2.09  4.0   3.9                                `Goldrush`                                                                             4.71    1.69    4.96  1.89  3.0   3.6                                `Nottingham`                                                                           5.69    2.33    5.22  2.47  4.4   3.7                                `Raven`  4.63    2.11    4.75  2.04  3.9   3.8                                `Sidekick`                                                                             5.08    2.67    5.23  2.71  4.1   4.6                                LSD (.05)                                                                              0.491   0.301   0.432 0.36  0.6   0.6                                ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 6                                                         ______________________________________                                        Morphological Comparisons of Glume Size of `Ba76-372` and Other               Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,                 ______________________________________                                        Ohio.                                                                                   Outer Glume                                                                   Lowest Whorl                                                                              Third Whorl                                                         Length  Width     Length                                                                              Width                                     Variety             (mm))     (mm)  (mm)                                      ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`    2.51  0.54      2.79  0.59                                      `Ba79-260`    2.79  0.55      3.05  0.53                                      `Abbey`          2.51                                                                             0.53      2.52  0.46                                      `Ascot`          3.92                                                                             0.50      3.74  0.56                                      `Famous`        2.99                                                                              0.56      2.91  0.64                                      `Goldrush`    2.65  0.51      3.07  0.62                                      `Nottingham`                                                                              2.99    0.61      2.91  0.57                                      `Raven`          2.85                                                                             0.53      2.87  0.47                                      `Sidekick`    3.27  0.52      3.41  0.63                                      LSD (.05)          0.31                                                                           0.10      0.30  0.11                                      ______________________________________                                                  Inner Glume                                                                   Lowest Whorl                                                                              Third Whorl                                                         Length  Width     Length                                                                              Width                                     Variety             (mm)      (mm)  (mm)mm)                                   ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`          0.74      3.3510                                                                              0.82                                      `Ba79-260`          0.74      3.3307                                                                              0.73                                      `Abbey`             0.69      3.00 2.96                                                                           0.69                                      `Ascot`             0.71      4.03 4.13                                                                           0.68                                      `Famous`            0.74      3.363.38                                                                            0.73                                      `Goldrush`          0.76      3.7041                                                                              0.81                                      `Nottingham`                                                                                      0.81      3.31                                                                          3.33  0.67                                      `Raven`             0.74      3.09 3.11                                                                           0.68                                      `Sidekick`          0.65      3.6951                                                                              0.73                                      LSD (.05)           0.14      0.28  0.129                                     ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 7                                                         ______________________________________                                        Morphological Comparisons of the Level of Hairs on the Vegetative             Leaves of `Ba76-372` and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties                   in the Greenhouse at Marysville, Ohio.                                                 Leaf                                                                          Sheath  Leaf Sheath                                                                             Ligule Upper                                                                          Collar                                                                              Leaf                                 Variety  Margin  Dorsal    Margin  Margin                                                                              Dorsal                               ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`                                                                             2.30    2.3       5.3     3.3   1.0                                  `Ba79-260`                                                                             1.80    1.0       3.1     2.2   1.0                                  `Abbey`  3.10    2.7       6.3     3.6   1.0                                  `Ascot`  2.10    1.0       2.0     4.4   0.0                                  `Famous` 2.80    1.4       4.3     3.3   1.0                                  `Goldrush`                                                                             3.40    1.0       4.6     2.2   1.0                                  `Nottingham`                                                                           3.30    3.6       7.1     4.4   1.0                                  `Raven`  1.80    1.1       3.1     2.1   1.0                                  `Sidekick`                                                                             2.10    1.2       2.3     3.6   0.0                                  LDS (0.5)                                                                              0.55    0.4       0.7     0.7   0.1                                  ______________________________________                                         Rating Scale: 0-9;                                                            0 = None;                                                                     9 = Many Hairs.                                                          

The seed of `Ba76-372` was conditioned by removing most of theextraneous materials that may have been harvested with the seed, such assmall pieces of plant stems and leaves, soil particles, seed of otherplants, hair attached to the seed and the like. This conditioned seed of`Ba76-372` averages 3.19 mm in length, 0.87 mm in width, and a rachillalength of 0.56 mm. It has an average level of hairs at the base of thelemma. `Ba76-372` has about 1,127,400 seeds per pound.

Comparisons of `Ba76-372` with other Kentucky bluegrass varieties interms of seed numbers per pound and other seed characteristics are shownin Tables 8-9 as follows:

                  TABLE 8                                                         ______________________________________                                        Morphological Comparisons of Seed Length, Width, Rachilla Length              and Lemma Hairs of `Ba76-372` and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties          after Conditioning.                                                                     Length  Width     Rachilla                                          Variety   (mm)    (mm)      (mm)  Lemma Hairs.sup.1/                          ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`                                                                              3.19    0.87      0.56  2.11                                        `Ba79-260`                                                                              2.77    0.79      0.82  2.33                                        `Abbey`   3.02    0.85      0.56  1.80                                        `Ascot`   3.00    0.81      0.68  6.30                                        `Famous`  3.02    0.86      0.65  1.56                                        `Goldrush`                                                                              2.80    0.75      0.81  1.22                                        `Nottingham`                                                                            3.02    0.84      0.69  1.10                                        `Raven`   2.88    0.80      0.67  2.50                                        `Sidekick`                                                                              2.84    0.84      0.88  2.11                                        LSD (.05) 0.20    0.11      0.21  0.70                                        ______________________________________                                         .sup.1/ Rating Scale 0-9;                                                     0 = None;                                                                     9 = Most Hairs.                                                          

                  TABLE 9                                                         ______________________________________                                        Comparison of Seeds Per Pound of `Ba76-372` and Other Kentucky                Bluegrass Varieties After Conditioning.                                       Variety       Seeds per Pound                                                 ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`    1,127,400                                                       `Ba79-260`    1,038,300                                                       `Abbey`       1,003,000                                                       `Ascot`       1,039,400                                                       `Coventry`    1,374,700                                                       `Famous`      1,128,600                                                       `Goldrush`      942,700                                                       `Nottingham`  1,066,000                                                       `Raven`       1,127,100                                                       `Sidekick`      928,000                                                       LSD (.05)       38,080                                                        ______________________________________                                    

`Ba76-372` has performed well throughout the U.S. as exhibited by mediumturf quality ratings in comparison with other Kentucky bluegrassvarieties. In addition, it has a medium green color which can bemaintained throughout the growing season.

With regard to a comparative analysis conducted for purposes ofdetermining color of `Ba76-372` plants relative to other Kentuckybluegrass varieties, readings were taken of the vegetative color of`Ba76-372` during mid-October while the turf was actively growing withadequate nutrient and water availability. The readings were taken infull sun with several actively growing leaves being compared, one at atime, utilizing color chips from the Munsell Book of Color as areference. On this basis, the color of `Ba76-372` was determined to be7.5 GY 4/4. During the same time period, the color of similar leaves ofother Kentucky bluegrass varieties were determined by the same procedureto be as follows: Ascot -- 5 GY 4/4; Buckingham -- 7.5 GY 4/4;`Nottingham` -- 5 GY 4/6; `Midnight` -- 7.5 GY 4/4; `Abbey` -- 5 GY 4/6;and Victa -- 5 GY 4/4. However, it should be noted that the generalapparent color of turf does not always correlate directly with the colorof the individual actively growing leaves within the turf and that turfcolor varies with nutrient level and time of year with some varietiesbeing darker or lighter green, depending on such factors.

Comparisons of `Ba76-372` with other Kentucky bluegrass varieties forquality, genetic color, spring greenup, winter color, turf density, leaftexture, and seed yield are set forth hereinafter in Tables 10-17 asfollows.

                  TABLE 10                                                        ______________________________________                                        A Comparison of Quality of `Ba76-372` and Other Kentucky                      Bluegrass Varieties as Affected by Environmental Conditions.                  Variety        Dense Shade.sup.1/                                                                       Full Sun.sup.2/                                     ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`     4.4        5.4                                                 `Ba79-260`     4.7        5.8                                                 `Abbey`        4.2        5.6                                                 `Ascot`        5.4        5.6                                                 `Baron`        3.7        5.5                                                 `Chateau`      5.3        6.0                                                 `Classic`      4.7        5.8                                                 `Coventry`     5.1        5.9                                                 `Eclipse`      4.6        5.8                                                 `Glade`        4.4        6.0                                                 `Goldrush`     4.7        5.6                                                 `Kenblue`      3.2        4.9                                                 `Limousine`    4.8        6.0                                                 `Midnight`     3.2        6.3                                                 `Raven`        3.4        5.7                                                 `Sidekick`     4.3        5.1                                                 LSD (.05)      1.6        0.2                                                 ______________________________________                                         Rating Scale: 0-9;                                                            9 = Excellent.                                                                .sup.1/ From Maryland                                                         .sup.2/ From 29 different locations in the US                            

                  TABLE 11                                                        ______________________________________                                        A Comparison of Quality of `Ba76-372` and Other Kentucky Bluegrass            Varieties as Affected by Climatic Regions in the U.S.                                   Transition    Cool-  Cool-                                          Variety   Zone.sup.1/   Arid.sup.2/                                                                          Humid.sup.3/                                   ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`                                                                              5.0           5.7    5.6                                            `Ba79-260-2                                                                             5.5           5.3    6.1                                            `Abbey`   5.4           5.7    5.7                                            `Ascot`   5.2           5.6    5.8                                            `Baron`   5.5           5.7    5.5                                            `Chateau` 5.7           6.0    6.1                                            `Classic` 5.3           6.0    6.1                                            `Coventry`                                                                              5.7           5.5    6.2                                            `Eclipse` 5.5           5.5    6.0                                            `Glade`   5.8           6.1    6.1                                            `Goldrush`                                                                              5.5           5.6    5.7                                            `Kenblue` 4.8           5.3    4.9                                            `Limousine`                                                                             5.7           6.1    6.3                                            `Midnight`                                                                              6.1           6.3    6.5                                            `Raven`   5.6           5.6    5.8                                            `Sidekick`                                                                              5.0           5.4    5.1                                            LSD (.05) 0.3           0.5    0.2                                            ______________________________________                                         Rating Scale: 0-9;                                                            9 = Excellent.                                                                .sup.1/ From 10 different locations in the U.S.                               .sup.2/ From 16 different locations in the U.S.                               .sup.3/ From 3 different locations in the U.S.                           

                  TABLE 12                                                        ______________________________________                                        A Comparison of Genetic Color, Spring Greenup and Winter Color of             `Ba76-372` and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties.                                       Genetic      Spring   Winter                                       Variety    Color.sup.1/ Greenup.sup.2/                                                                         Color.sup.3/                                 ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372` 6.5          5.6      5.8                                          `Ba79-260` 7.6          5.4      5.8                                          `Abbey`    6.4          5.6      5.0                                          `Ascot`    7.1          5.1      4.5                                          `Baron`    6.4          5.5      5.2                                          `Chateau`  6.2          5.6      5.0                                          `Classic`  5.8          6.4      6.0                                          `Coventry` 6.4          5.6      4.7                                          `Eclipse`  6.5          5.6      5.3                                          `Glade`    6.8          5.7      5.3                                          `Goldrush` 6.4          5.5      4.8                                          `Kenblue`  5.4          6.2      5.3                                          `Limousine`                                                                              6.3          5.5      4.3                                          `Midnight` 7.7          5.6      5.7                                          `Raven`    6.2          5.6      4.5                                          `Sidekick` 6.3          5.5      5.2                                          LSD (.05)  0.2          0.3      0.8                                          ______________________________________                                         Ratings 1-9;                                                                  9 = Dark Green, Faster Greening.                                              .sup.1/ From 27 different locations in the U.S.                               .sup.2/ From 14 different locations in the U.S.                               .sup.3/ From 2 different locations in the U.S.                           

                  TABLE 13                                                        ______________________________________                                        A Comparison of Turf Density of `Ba76-372` and Other Kentucky                 Bluegrass Varieties.                                                                  Turf Density                                                          Variety   Spring.sup.1/                                                                              Summer.sup.2/                                                                          Fall.sup.3/                                   ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`                                                                              5.5          6.2      6.6                                           `Ba79-260`                                                                              5.9          6.6      6.7                                           `Abbey`   6.0          6.4      6.4                                           `Ascot`   5.7          6.5      6.6                                           `Baron`   5.8          6.3      6.4                                           `Chateau` 6.1          6.8      6.8                                           `Classic` 6.2          7.0      6.9                                           `Coventry`                                                                              6.1          6.5      7.0                                           `Eclipse` 5.8          6.5      6.7                                           `Glade`   6.4          6.8      7.0                                           `Goldrush`                                                                              5.9          6.5      6.5                                           `Kenblue` 5.8          6.5      6.5                                           `Limousine`                                                                             6.7          7.0      7.3                                           `Midnight`                                                                              6.3          6.7      7.0                                           `Raven`   6.1          6.7      6.3                                           `Sidekick`                                                                              5.3          6.1      6.2                                           LSD (.05) 0.4          0.5      0.3                                           ______________________________________                                         Density Rating: 1-9;                                                          9 = maximum density.                                                          .sup.1/ From 8 different locations in the U.S.                                .sup.2/ From 9 different locations in the U.S.                                3/From 12 different locations in the U.S.                                

                  TABLE 14                                                        ______________________________________                                        A Comparison of Leaf Texture of `Ba76-372` and Other Kentucky                 Bluegrass Varieties.                                                          Variety       Leaf Texture.sup.1/                                             ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`    5.3                                                             `Ba79-260`    6.1                                                             `Abbey`       5.7                                                             `Ascot`       6.1                                                             `Baron`       5.7                                                             `Chateau`     5.5                                                             `Classic`     6.2                                                             `Coventry`    5.6                                                             `Eclipse`     6.1                                                             `Glade`       6.6                                                             `Goldrush`    6.0                                                             `Kenblue`     7.0                                                             `Limousine`   7.3                                                             `Midnight`    6.4                                                             `Raven`       5.6                                                             `Sidekick`    5.0                                                             LSD (.05)     0.2                                                             ______________________________________                                         Texture Rating: 1-9;                                                          9 = fine texture.                                                             .sup.1/ From 23 different locations in the U.S.                          

                  TABLE 15                                                        ______________________________________                                        A Comparison of Seed Yield (Pounds per Acre) of `Ba76-372` and Other          Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two (2) Tests Conducted at                    Gervais, Oregon.                                                              Variety          Test 1  Test 2                                               ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`       913     890                                                  `Abbey`          516     848                                                  `Buckingham`     457     1071                                                 `Coventry`       480     429                                                  `Goldrush`       514     785                                                  `Midnight`       112     618                                                  `Sidekick`       1196    982                                                  `Vantage`        328     663                                                  LSD (.05)        100     130                                                  ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 16                                                        ______________________________________                                        A Comparison of Seed Yield (Pounds per Acre) of `Ba76-372` and Other          Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at LaGrande, Oregon.                                    Variety                                                                ______________________________________                                               `Ba76-372`                                                                            1193                                                                  `Ba79-260`                                                                            1182                                                                  `Abbey` 1484                                                                  `Coventry`                                                                            915                                                                   `Goldrush`                                                                            1165                                                                  LSD (.05)                                                                             200                                                            ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 17                                                        ______________________________________                                        A Comparison of Seed Yield (Pounds per Acre) of `Ba76-372` and Other          Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two (2) Tests Conducted at                    Connell, Oregon.                                                              Variety          Test 1  Test 2                                               ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`       1518    1467                                                 `Abbey`          2026    1493                                                 `Able 1`         1137    656                                                  `Allure`         1053    895                                                  `Ascot`          1086    831                                                  `Bristo`l        1107    1060                                                 `Buckingham`     813     1017                                                 `Cobalt`         682     857                                                  `Goldrush`       1513    1319                                                 `Sidekick`       844     880                                                  LSD (.05)        217     268                                                  ______________________________________                                    

Turf diseases are one of the major causes of inconsistent and poor turfperformance. `Ba76-372` has been found to have a medium to high level ofresistance to powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe graminis; melting outand leaf spot caused by Drechslera poae (formerly calledHelminthosporium vagans); and brown patch caused by Rhizoctonia solani.

Comparisons of disease incidence of `Ba76-372` as compared with otherKentucky bluegrass varieties in regard to leaf spot, summer patch,powdery mildew, melting out and brown patch are presented in Table 18 asfollows:

                  TABLE 18                                                        ______________________________________                                        A Comparison of Diseases of `Ba76-372` and Other                              Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties.                                                         Leaf   Summer  Powdery Melting                                        Variety Spot.sup.1/                                                                           Patch.sup.2/                                                                          Mildew.sup.3/                                                                         Out.sup.4/                                                                          Brown Patch.sup.5/                      ______________________________________                                        `Ba76-372`                                                                            5.7    2.3     8.7     6.0    6.2                                     `Ba79-260`                                                                            6.0    7.3     8.3     7.0    6.7                                     `Abbey` 3.4    6.7     6.7     6.0    3.8                                     `Ascot` 6.9    5.7     8.7     8.0    6.7                                     `Baron` 4.1    6.3     6.0     4.8    4.0                                     `Chateau`                                                                             5.6    5.0     8.7     7.0    4.7                                     `Classic`                                                                             6.3    7.3     8.3     6.3    5.3                                     `Coventry`                                                                            5.3    6.7     8.7     7.0    6.8                                     `Eclipse`                                                                             5.7    8.7     8.7     7.0    6.5                                     `Glade` 4.8    6.7     6.7     7.2    4.8                                     `Goldrush`                                                                            3.8    6.0     7.0     5.3    5.0                                     `Kenblue`                                                                             3.2    4.0     8.3     1.3    2.8                                     `Limousine`                                                                           6.3    7.0     8.7     7.7    5.7                                     `Midnight`                                                                            6.9    6.7     5.3     7.8    7.2                                     `Raven` 3.5    6.3     6.7     6.5    4.8                                     `Sidekick`                                                                            4.4    8.0     8.0     4.5    3.3                                     LSD (.05)                                                                             1.7    1.8     1.4     1.1    2.3                                     ______________________________________                                         Rating Scale: 1-9;                                                            9 = No Disease.                                                               .sup.1/ From Maine                                                            .sup.2/ From New Jersey                                                       .sup.3/ From Maryland                                                         .sup.4/ From Maryland and Pennsylvania                                        .sup.5/ From Maine                                                       

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Kentucky bluegrass plant, as herein illustrated and described. 